Hitachi Short Throw Projector Makes the Sale

If there is a such a thing as this year's sales gadget magic bullet, it might just be this Hitachi projector.

NEW YORK ( MainStreet) -- To me, anyway, selling is a simple game: What can I do to get what I have in my mind into the minds of my customers? Business projector companies such as Optoma, Espon, Acer and Dell ( DELL) have long tried to improve the getting-the-idea-across equation with this or that projection device. Most work fine, but there is rarely real news in business projectors. Except now.

A legitimately new way to communicate showed up in the shop several months back: the Hitachi ( HIT) Ultimate Short Throw Projector (the line starts at $1,695 at Amazon.com).

If there is a such a thing as this year's sales gadget magic bullet, it might just be this Hitachi projector.

The idea behind the Ultimate Short Throw is simple. The projector produces a bright, roughly 6-foot image, but not from being mounted the usual 4 or 5 feet from the wall. Rather this Hitachi projects a full size, sales-worthy image from a scant 20 or so inches from the wall.

Meaning if you set this unit up properly, you can quickly and simply project an image that will not pick up the presenter's shadow. And suddenly, your personal pitch is not distracting from your projected pitch.

And heavens, does your selling life get simpler.

What you getThe Hitachi offers a powerful way to affordably demonstrate, explain and communicate a business idea.

Don't let the nearly $2,000 starting price scare you off. The Ultimate Short Throw offers significant value. In a unit about the size of small briefcase, you get a box that produces a high-definition image that starts at being 2,200 lumens bright -- enough punch for most businesses. The unit comes with almost limitless connectivity options, from traditional PC display cables through sophisticated network Ethernet links. This projector is terrifically quiet in my testing: It can be controlled with an interactive touch pen. And it comes with enough menus, control software and presets that given the proper tinkering you can put your big idea on any wall in any room -- and then stand right next to the image and let it shine.

For those is us who work in front of projectors, this is game-changing stuff.

Hitachi (NYSE:HIT) hit a new 52-week high Tuesday as it is currently trading at $63.44, above its previous 52-week high of $63.17 with 8,582 shares traded as of 9:35 a.m. ET. Average volume has been 60,800 shares over the past 30 days.